Application of a Multi-Metal Stable-Isotope-Enriched Bioassay to Assess Changes to Metal Bioavailability in Suspended Sediments
- 14 September 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Chemical Society (ACS) in Environmental Science & Technology
- Vol. 55 (19), 13005-13013
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.1c03827
Abstract
The direct measurement of particulate contaminant bioavailability is a challenging aspect for the environmental risk assessment of contaminated sites. Here, we demonstrated a multi-metal stable-isotope-enriched bioassay to simultaneously measure the bioavailability of Cd, Cu, and Zn in naturally contaminated sediments following differing periods of resuspension treatment. Freshwater filter-feeding clams were pre-labeled with the isotopes Cd-114, Cu-65, and Zn-68 to elevate isotope abundances in their tissues and then exposed to metal-contaminated suspended sediments. The assimilation of sedimentassociated metals by clams would decrease the isotope ratios (Cd-114/111, Cu-65/63, and Zn-68/64) in tissues, providing a direct measurement of metal bioavailability. For the sediments tested here, the method revealed bioavailable cadmium and non-bioavailable copper in sediments but was inconclusive for zinc. With a longer resuspension time, the bioavailability of particulate cadmium increased, but that of copper was unaffected. Metal bioavailability predicted using traditional wet-chemical extraction methods was inconsistent with these findings. The study indicated that multi-metal stableisotope-enriched bioassay provides a new tool for directly assessing metal bioavailability in sediments, and this method is amenable for use in in situ assessments.Funding Information
- Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China (20720200113)
- National Natural Science Foundation of China (21707113, 42077372)
- Hong Kong Branch of Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (SMSEGL20SC02)
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